Category: Wool & Knitting

• Flick Carding a Fine Fleece

  

  In previous posts I covered how to scour or wash locks and I also covered how to dye those locks.  Now that the wool is dry what’s the next step?  Well we are now at the stage where we will prepare the locks for spinning. There are several ways to accomplish this, often dependent upon…

• Dyeing a Fine Fleece

  

  Remember as a child dyeing Easter eggs with food colouring and vinegar?  Well dyeing wool is the same principal.  Protein + colour+ acid (vinegar) = dyed protein. Material ListA plastic sheet to protect the countertop from dye20 quart stock potthermometerwhite ladle or spoon measuring spoonsLarge plastic strainerdyevinegarfleece Directions In our last post we scoured the fleece. …

• Scouring a Fine Fleece

  

  Scouring fleece does not have to be frightening.  Follow these steps and you will have clean felt free locks. Scouring With Dish SoapIn my last post I went though how to separate locks and prepare for the scouring or washing stage. Fine fleeces tend to be heavy with lanolin.  To get this grease out I…

• Sorting the Fleece

  

  Sorting The FleeceIn my last post I explained how I sorted the fleece into sections. The neck area was one pile, the back, the sides and finally the britch area. The picture below shows the neck in front of the green line , the britch behind the red line, wool from the back is between…

• Qualities of a Good Fleece

  

  Fleece Purchase and Inspection When purchasing a fleece, you want to look for certain characteristics.The fleece should be fairly open. In the photo below you can see the individual locks. If the fleece is all stuck together, I would not purchase the fleece. If the locks seem stuck together it could be a bit felted.…

• Fleece Processing Introduction

  

  When I first started with this hobby I struggled to find information to take me through all the steps.  For anyone that is new to this hobby, I wanted to create a place to help with all of the phases from raw wool to a completed project.  There will be a series of blogs that…

• The Story Behind Wool and Knitting

  

  This is my short story about how the Wool and Knitting blog posts came about. I don’t think I was much older than 6 years of age when I asked my mom to show me how to knit.  It was a struggle for both of us, but I soon got the hang of it and…